Many persons who drink hot beverages such as tea and coffee utilize a sweetener and/or cream or milk therewith and in many instances hot beverages such as tea and coffee are provided in an environment where the hot beverage, without a sweetener or cream or milk, is supplied from a large container and the sweetener and/or cream or milk subsequently must be added by a person filling a cut with the hot beverage from the container.
If stirring sticks are used to accomplish the stirring or mixing process other means must be provided for measuring the creamer and/or sweetener used and if a teaspoon or the like is provided for measuring purposes many persons will use the same teaspoon to effect the subsequently desired stirring operation. This results in the teaspoon being wetted and a subsequent attempt to add sweetener such as sugar from a bowl of sugar to a hot beverage by the next beverage consumer results in moisture being transferred to the sugar from the teaspoon causing lumps of sugar to form in the sugar container and the teaspoon to be coated with sugar to thereby render it difficult to accurately measure the desired amount of sugar.
Accordingly, a need exists for structure by which a cup or container of beverage may be stirred without requiring the use of a stirring stick or a teaspoon or the like. With a view toward this end, various forms of containers previously have been provided with means within the lower portions thereof for effecting a stirring action on the contents of the containers. Examples of containers provided with structures within the lower portions thereof for stirring the contents of the containers are disclosed in U.S. Pat. Nos. 1,445,867, 2,459,498, 2,664,002, 2,737,373, 2,924,349, 2,965,274 and 3,285,584.
However, these prior known structures are not particularly well adapted for use in conjunction with a tea or coffee cup or container, or they are not constructed in a manner whereby a stirring operation may be readily effected. Therefore, a need exists for an improved form of beverage cup or container including structure whereby the beverage therein may be stirred.